Summer is just around the corner, and that means the peak wedding season is too. If you or your child is planning a wedding, get your checkbook ready.

After plummeting in the wake of the financial crisis, spending on nuptials resumed its rise in 2010, and is once again approaching record levels.

The average cost of a wedding is as high as $28,400 by one estimate, and close to $26,000 by another. And depending on where you live, like the Big Apple, average costs can top $70,000. That's higher than the median American household income.

If you are determined to keep your wedding costs in check despite the various pressures to spend big, here are a slew of suggestions.